The Best of Birthdays
by Ezria.Lovers.Forever
Summary: It's Lucy's 24th birthday. Ian is afraid his gift to her isn't good enough when in reality it is the best present she could have received.


**The Best of Birthdays **

**I don't own PLL **

**Lucy's POV**

Walking into my dressing room earlier this evening after filming was truly surreal. Troian and I were the last ones on set to film our scenes for the night so she was the one to accompany me to my dressing room then proceeded to take a picture and video of my reaction to all the gifts that had been left in my dressing room. I have been busy filming and going in and out of hair and makeup today that I hadn't been in my dressing room since this morning so to see all of the gifts at once brought tears to my eyes. Between all the tweets, texts, and phone calls from all my friends, family, and fans today I have been unable to quit smiling. My face was actually starting to hurt due to all the smiling.

Ever since Troian had left earlier I sat down on my black leather couch in my dressing room to open all my gifts. I had a list going of who gave me what so I wouldn't mix anything up seeing how I am overwhelmed with these presents. A couple hours had passed and I wasn't even halfway through the huge pile sitting on my coffee table as well as the two arm chairs that were holding a good amount of gifts.

I lean back against the back cushions on the couch and rub my tired eyes. There was a soft knock on the door before it slowly opens to reveal Marlene.

"I see you've found the mountain of gifts people have been sneaking in here all day." Marlene says with a smile taking in the room.

"I still can't believe the amount of things here. How in the world did you get these balloons and this huge flower bouquet in here? I love them tremendously, the flowers smell amazing."

"Ian helped me bring them in earlier." She explains leaning against the door taking a drink of her coffee.

"Where is Ian anyway? When I ran out to my car earlier I saw his was still here but I haven't seen him around." I really wanted to talk with Ian for a bit and spend some time with him today. He told me happy birthday and greeted me this morning but then he suddenly disappeared and I haven't seen him on set since. Sadly we weren't filming any scenes together today, all his scenes were with a few other cast members.

"He's been down in my office with me for a little bit discussing some ideas and whatnot with the show that he had questions on. Are you planning on staying here until you get through all of this?"

"Oh okay, thanks. I'm not sure, I would like to get through it tonight but I feel like it's never ending." I laugh softly looking at the still large pile of unopened items.

"Don't ware yourself out too much tonight getting to everything. I better get home to make sure my boys are in bed like they should be. Have a good night and enjoy the rest of your birthday Lucy."

We say our goodbyes before she heads out. Her words about Ian play in my mind. I have been all over set today so I don't understand how I haven't seen him. The past three years we've always hung out on set together all day whenever it is either of our birthdays. I decide to get up, take a break and go find him. As soon as I stand up I stretch my tiny body since my muscles were a bit tired from siting in the same position for the past couple of hours. I walk barefoot across the hall to knock lightly on his dressing room door figuring this was the best place to check first.

"Ian?" I ask while opening the door. Once the door was open I see him lying on his couch drinking a small glass of scotch that he keeps put away in the drawer of the end table.

"Hey Lucy," Ian says softly pushing up from the couch into a sitting position.

"Did you not get my note I left for you earlier? I was looking for you." I frown a little when I notice the note I had left for him asking him to come to my dressing room when he had a minute had been moved from where I left it so he's obviously red it.

"Yeah I just got held up when I saw it and I figured you'd be busy going through your presents." Something seems off with him, he isn't looking up at me and when he does it's very brief before he casts his gaze back down and he takes another sip.

"You still could have come over." I shut the door softly before walking over to the couch and taking a seat next to him. Ian simply shrugs in reply.

"Are you okay, you aren't acting like yourself?"

"Of course, I'm fine Luce." He says making me frown further, what is going on with him?

"I'm sorry my gift won't be here on time. I'll get it to you as soon as it arrives."

"You didn't have to get me anything at all Ian but I appreciate it."

"Have you made your way through that mountain in there yet?" Ian asks after a few minutes of silence.

"Not yet, there is a lot in there. It's going to take me several trips to carry everything out to my car."

"Yeah it was pretty big pile when I went in there this morning." He says dryly while rotating his glass around in circles watching the liquid. I take the glass from his hands, sit it off to the side and question him further about his strange behavior.

"I said it's nothing Lucy." He grumbles.

"Come on Ian, you can tell me anything you know that. Just tell me what is making you act like this." I push him further out of curiosity.

"Fine, you want to know what's bugging me so much?" He shouts getting up from the couch and pacing across the room.

"If it will help you get past whatever this is then yes I would like to know." I stare at him shocked by his sudden outburst.

"I couldn't think of a single thing to get you for your birthday until I found something late last night. I had planned to give it to you this morning but when I got here Marlene caught me in the parking lot and asked if I could help her carry some things in. When we walked into your dressing room you already had quite the table going of presents, flowers, and balloons."

He huffs out a breath and runs an agitated hand through his hair.

"After seeing all those things that were just sitting there waiting for you I felt as if my gift wasn't good enough. That's why I tweeted you saying it was on backorder as a way to buy myself some more time. What kind of friend am I that I couldn't even get you something good? Between my call times I went back out in hopes of finding something which I did but it still didn't good enough when I saw how rapidly the pile had turned into a full out mountain."

"Ian…" I sit there with tears in my eyes. I move to stand in front of him and take his hands in mine. "I will love anything you get me. Hell you don't even have to get me anything at all and I'd still love you."

"Do you want to see what I picked for you then?" He asks hesitantly as if he were afraid I'd say no.

"I'd love to," I smile reassuring up at him and visibly see him relax.

Ian lets go of my hands to walk over to the side of the couch where he picks up two small bags. One was pink with curly ribbon on it and the other was a beautiful light blue with white string handles on it. He hands me the blue bag first to open and looks at it nervously.

"This was what I got this morning in hopes of getting something better."

As I take the small bag from his hand do I realize it is from Tiffany and Co.

"Ian…" I trail off before opening the bag. There is nothing cheap at Tiffany's so I already know he spent a fortune on whatever lie in this bag.

"Just open it." He replies with a simple shrug.

I reach my hand in around the little tissue paper to pull out a light blue square shaped jewelry box. I hesitate a moment before opening it; no man's ever bought me diamond jewelry before. Inside lies the most beautiful sterling silver diamond necklace I've ever seen. There were no words that I could manage to say, I simply stood there staring at it.

"When you tweeted me this morning you said diamonds so I went and got the necklace. Do you like it?"

"I was only kidding." I look up to look into his beautiful blue eyes. "I love it Ian, you didn't have to."

Ian walks closer to me to help me claps the necklace around my neck. I couldn't quit touching it, it was truly stunning.

"This is what I had originally got for you." Ian picks up the other bag that he previously sat on the coffee table.

With curiosity as to what could make him so self-conscious about I gift I eagerly pull the item from the bag. It was a chocolate brown, smooth leather with bound creamy blank paper.

"I don't know if you already have one but I figured with you always writing songs or jotting down ideas you might need a song book or something. It's okay if you don't like it, I know it doesn't compare to what everyone else got you." Ian mutters looking down at the ground.

Tears fill my eyes and I fall to sit down on the arm chair behind me. I turn back the leather cover to see he had written a note on the first page in his somewhat messy handwriting. Though it was much neater than usual so it seems like he took his time writing it.

_Lucy, _

_Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take. But by the moments that take our breath away. I hope this birthday takes your breath away Goose, you deserve it. Enjoy being 24 to the fullest. _

_Love, _

_Ian_

"Ian I love it. You're right, it doesn't compare to my other gifts because this is the best thing I could have received. Thank you, Shmian." I couldn't help myself from standing up on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek.

"You really like it?" He was smiling back at me and I could tell he is relieved.

"I love it, thank you." I feel as if I couldn't express how much I loved it but I will spend every day trying to do so. I wrap my arms around his waist to hug him tightly. I've been wanting this all day but instead he was hiding out because he felt he didn't get me a good enough present.

"I've missed you, Luce." Ian says softly in my hair hugging me just as closely and tightly to him.

"I've missed you too, Ian. No more hiding out from each other, deal?" I look up at him.

"Of course, I hating purposely staying away from you today on your birthday of all days."

Ian and I spent the next hour talking and simply having fun catching up in his dressing room until we realized it was after midnight and we were both exhausted from the long day. Ian helped me haul everything out to my car other than the balloons and flowers because I want to keep them in my dressing room to brighten it up even more than it already is.

Despite all the love and appreciation I received from everyone in my life today, Ian is the one who truly made my day through the roof and helped make this my best birthday yet. All I can hope is I can say the same for next year.

**This isn't proofed because I am too tired to proof it right now and I don't have time to. So I know I had said I would post GGC today and a Lucy birthday one shot yesterday, I changed my mind. I ended up deciding not to write the original birthday idea then late last night I got another idea in my head and decided what the hell, just write it. I'll update GGC tomorrow. **


End file.
